Proverbs 20:25
An impulsive vow is a trap; later you'll wish you could get out of it.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Recently, a politician claimed that she would get gasoline prices down to $2 a gallon if elected President. No sooner had she made this claim than her staff began to backpedal and say, “What she really meant was… XYZ.” Politicians do this all the time. And honestly, we’ve become somewhat numb to it… to the point that we often don’t even hear what they are saying, much less pay attention to the “meat” of their message.
I’m not sharing this analogy to spark political debate. ALL politicians… all PEOPLE… make promises they can’t keep. But the point is that we often engage our mouths before our brains… then find that we surely wish we could retract what was just said!
My challenge for each of us today is to think more carefully before we make promises. Did you just tell Joe you would pick him up after work, when you know full well you have other obligations at that hour? Have you promised someone you will “do whatever you need”… knowing that you have appointments and other obligations to fulfill and can’t possibly be available on a moment’s notice? Did you vow to love another person and be faithful to him/her, even while you were looking around to see if someone better might come along? Did you promise God that you would love Him and serve Him… that He would be LORD of your life… and now you are living in a way you know does not please Him?
Vows are serious business. And like dishonesty, breaking seemingly insignificant or small “vows” leads to failure to deliver on bigger ones… and the cycle that is created can be vicious. Check your thoughts, your words… and your promises. Ask God to guide you as you make daily decisions and vows… and you will have no regrets.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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